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Marianan passport
Marianan Passports are passports issued to citizens of the Kingdom of Mariana. Bearers of a Marianan passport may use it as a proof of citizenship, and are able to travel to 172 countries visa-free. A 32-page passport for adults is 140 l (~60€) and 100 l (~40€) for children under 18 years. History Early history The earliest travel documents issued were essentially laissez-passer issued in the name of and signed by the king, issued sporadically for ambassadors from the 1750s. Mariana first issued passports in 1877, as more and more nations were requiring them for travel abroad, but these were extremely limited issue. The government did, instead, issue travel documents to foreigners entering Mariana, alongside any they may hold from their country. Until well into the 20th century, passports were printed and typed on plain paper. During World War I, the issuance of passports was heavily curtailed, and travel abroad was heavily restricted. Other than members of the royal family (sans the king, who did not require one), diplomats and military officers, World Wars In 1921 Mariana issued the first passport books, white with blue text and border. These featured the Dutch "Paspoort" on the cover, and French text in the interior. It was not written in either of the official languages as mere presentation of the passport was enough to validate the bearer's status. During the 1927 crisis, no passports were issued or processed, and travel abroad was severely restricted, with passport issuance only recommencing in November 1927. Following the German invasion and occupation in May 1941, the government in exile in Sierra began issuing new green passports, and declared the old ones invalid, but in practice the white and blue ones were still issued by the collaborationist government. These were accepted by Nazi Germany and their allies, but very few were issued, and exit visas were required to leave, again rarely issued. In contrast, the green passports were accepted by Sierra, Brazoria and the rest of Anglo-America, the United Kingdom, Australia as well as other governments-in-exile. After liberation in 1944 a number of people left Mariana with white passports, most of them collaborators of some sort, but many would be detained while abroad due to this. White passports were soon declared invalid, and between July 1944 and September 1946 all requests for new green passports and travel abroad were reviewed case-by-case. Modern passports In the 1990s Mariana began issuing European Union passports, but it was only until 2000 that the government began issuing the standard burgundy-colored passports. There was much opposition to the change in color, which was why it took a long time to approve and implement. Green passports became invalidated after four month of the burgundy ones being introduced, with persons required to replace them for validity. Passport types Regular Most passports are of the regular type. These are issued to citizens are are required to be renewed every 10 years (for adults) and every 5 for minors. Diplomatic Diplomatic passports are issued to diplomats and other consular staff sent abroad. These passports are dark blue, having held that color since 1935. Royal The Queen's passport is burgundy, consists of a large photograph of her, her name and signature. It does not have visa pages or pages to be stamped, as those requirements are customarily waived. Overseas From 1901 to 1969 there were overseas passports, issued to Marianans from Marigalante and Bequia for practicality reasons. The few colonials who traveled abroad found it lengthy and trialing to write the Internal Affairs office for a passport and wait several months for the application to be processed, the fee to be remitted and the passport to be issued and sent back, so a locally-made passport was deemed the best option. These passport were last issued in 1969, where processing and issuance times for the overseas territories was much shorter, though for exceptional circumstances some were still issued, for official purposes, until 1972. Physical appearance The passport is burgundy-colored and features the Marianan coat of arms in the center. The words "PASSPORT" AND "PASPOORT" appear on the top and the full country name appears below in Dutch and English. Since 2010, biometric passports have the standard biometric symbol at the bottom. *Photo of passport Holder *Type (P) *Code of Issuing State (MAR) *Passport No. *Surname *Given Names *Nationality *Date of birth *Sex *Place of birth *Authority *Date of issue *Date of expiry *Bearer's Signature Application All citizens of Mariana are entitled to a Marianan passport. In Mariana, applications for a passport need to be made in person in government offices handling travel. Overseas applications need to be made in person at a consular authority (i.e. embassy or consulate). In order to apply for a passport, an individual needs to provide proof of citizenship. Currently no photograph is required, as a digital photograph is taken at the time of the application. Visa-free travel Marianan citizens are ranked as tied for fifth most countries able to visit visa-free, tied with Austria, Japan and Singapore. Category:Mariana Category:Passports